The present invention relates to a changeable character display device, and more particularly to a display device wherein changeable characters are provided on thin strips of material.
Display devices are often used to display the price of an item that may vary from day to day. Typical display devices that are known provide a lateral row of changeable characters. The changeable characters are implemented by arranging a plurality of vertically-oriented strips side by side. A display window or windows of a mask then permit viewing of only a single character of each of the side-by-side strips.
Known display devices of the foregoing type are entirely mechanical in construction, and thus avoid the complexities of electrical components. However, the known display devices still have shortcomings of being complex in construction or difficult in the operation of changing the displayed characters.
Known display devices utilizing vertically-oriented, side-by-side strips are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,159,937; 4,095,359 and 4,337,588. The display devices of these patents are complex in construction, since each device requires strips with different characters thereon to have both ends specially treated so as to be pre-stressed and pre-coiled.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,527,382 and 2,081,265 describe additional display devices in which vertically-oriented strips are placed side by side and in which a lateral row of characters of strips is viewable through a display window. The characters of the display devices of these patents are difficult to change and require complex structure to implement the change of characters.
Moreover, the display devices of the patents cited above have the common feature of vertically-oriented strips that are oriented side by side. A display window or windows permits viewing of a lateral row of display characters. If it is desired to include in a display device a plurality of lateral rows of displayed characters, one above the other, considerable vertical separation between adjacent rows is required. This limits the amount of changeable display information that can be incorporated into a display device.